The present invention relates generally to recreational and sporting devices and more particularly to recreational and sporting devices of the type including a foot support mounted to a wheel where a person stands in a generally upright position and travels over the ground.
Recreational and sporting devices comprising a foot support mounted to one or more wheels, where a person stands in a generally upright position and travels over a surface, are well known in the art. One such type of device is the skateboard, which is constructed for use on paved or other kinds of finished surfaces. Other such devices include either the conventional or in-line roller skates having a plurality of wheels for use on similar types of finished surfaces.
In all of the above-described devices, both steering and braking is only achieved by shifting the weight of the rider, which means that unless the person is highly skilled their control of the device, especially braking control, is at times questionable. Further because by virtue of their design they have relatively small diameter wheels the devices are limited to use on relatively smooth finish surfaces and are not appropriate for rough and uneven terrain. The smaller wheels also lead to high wear and tear of the device, and the speed of the user is limited. Conventional and in-line skates also have the disadvantage that since there are typically four wheels on the ground at any one time, this limits manoeuvrability of the device which means that the turning circle for such devices is quite large.
The need exists for a wheeled type recreational and sporting device where a person stands and which can be used in travelling on rougher ground than is allowed by the use of current devices.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved type of recreational and sporting device that overcomes at least some of the above-mentioned problems or provides the public with a useful alternative.
The above and other objects are achieved according to this invention by providing a device comprising a foot support that is mounted on a wheel such that the foot support is located below the axis of rotation of the wheel.